Reviewed
11.06.1999
Publisher
Sega
Developer
AM1
Format
GD
Origin
Import/Domestic
Available
Mar
18, 1999 (Japan)
Sep
9, 1999 (USA)
Exclusive
Yes
Difficulty
Adjustable
Dimensions
3D
View
1st
Person
Genre
Gun/Shooter
Players
1-2
Options
Backup
7
Gun
Rumble
VGA
Box
Requires
n/a
Importable
100% |
INTRO:
> I love gun games. Ever since Safari Hunt on the Sega Master System I
have been enamored with them. Some argue that they are repetitive
and I suppose they can be, but I still love them. So I was very happy to
see that Sega was bringing a good House of the Dead conversion to us. I
love my Saturn and all, but.... Anyway, as is almost a certain must,
many different options have been added in addition to the straight arcade
port. You get an Original mode (not the Original HotD as some hoped)
where
you can use different weapons and find different costumes, and even then
combine different items to make some strong combinations. Very cool indeed.
There is also a training mode, and a boss mode. High rankings in those
two areas lead to more opened secrets in the original mode. Yes,
you do have to play through the same levels over and over to get everything,
and that can be boring, but there are a ton of side routes and such, expanding
the game play.
GRAPHICS:
> As I am a closet game playing geek, I never really step foot into an
arcade, so I cannot make any comparisons. But I will say this, compared
to what I'm used to this game looks sweet. No draw in or drop out.
No unintentionally fuzzy creatures. Just pure polygon goodness. Truth to
tell, before Model 3 and Dreamcast, I never really liked poly games any
ways. Hmmm, low end poly graphics or high end beautiful hand drawn
art... jeez. Now you know why I liked the Saturn more than PSX.
Anyhow,
the
Zombies look good! The textures in the city look amazing. Sort of makes
me wish Kalisto would develop a Nightmare Creatures for the Dreamcast (one
of my few PSX guilty pleasures...). The explosions look convincing
, and the holes you blow into the Zombies, dripping all that green goo
(can be red, but you have to work for it) look amazing.
CONTROL:
> Being that I abhor Third party peripherals, I have been using the regular
controller with this one. Sucks if you are a gun purist, but better
than lame Ascii or Mad Catz rip-offs. You can adjust your sight speed
on the Options screen to your liking, and then you should be good to go.
I've not encountered any problems using the controller, and my TV screen
will probably last a bit longer than it would if I were constantly banging
the end of a gun against it (Yes, I am one of those guys who starts a respectable
distance away from the screen , only to be on top of it after a few minutes)...
SOUND:
> Bam! Pow! Ka-bang! It's all in here. The music is decent and the
sound effects fitting, but the voice acting..... my goodness! I had
nightmarish visions of those horrible Turbo Grafx CD games from ten years
ago. It's just not right that someone was probably paid real currency
to speak so stiffly and monotone. Once that I had seen all the little
dialog intermissions, I couldn't press "B" quick enough to get past them.
That junk is going to pull down the score. Usually I can ignore bad voice
acting, but this is really too much...
FUN:
> Mindless mayhem galore. I love the Zombies, I love the different routes,
I love Amy.... um, never mind that one. The original mode really does it
for me. Something tells me I shouldn't want to go over the same stuff over
again and again, (maybe it's all that Tokyo
Xtreme Racer I've been playing lately...), but I have to! I want
to wear Harry's suit! I want the Grenade gun and two extra credits. I want
the Nude code for Amy... (never mind that one...). If you like gun games...
even if you don't have the gun... you'll like this one!
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